Fear, for a Change
by MapleEye
Summary: After overcoming Zelena and all the other threats that came before her, Emma unintentionally causes more trouble to Storybrooke, which didn't even enjoy one quiet evening between two sets of fear. Starts during 3x22.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note : **Hi! This is my first fanfic.

This first chapter is mainly my take on the last part of the Season 3 finale. Upcoming chapters will go on from then. So, Season 3 Finale SPOILERS.

Disclaimer : I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Emma arrived at Granny's completely exhausted. She was on such a high that, in a desperate need to see her parents coupled with the return of her magic, she ran all the way from where the portal was to the dinner, without a single look back or a pause. She took a minute to calm her breath before entering her brother's coronation, where most of her family's friends were gathered. She jumped right into her parents arms, not giving the people watching her any attention.

″Why weren't you answering your cell? We were worried,″ David said, while stroking his daughter's back of the head.

″I'm fine.″ She saw a little bit of confusion in their eyes, because they weren't familiar with any affection from her, but they totally gave into the hug within a few seconds. She was just starting to be able to relax, her eyes closed and her head resting against her father's shoulder. She looked at them and it suddenly became very clear. ″I'm home,″ she breathed.

She saw Henry and gave him the same hugging treatment. She looked around her, unable to stop smiling. She had decided to stop running from everything. This complicated, absolutely uncommon, partly disturbing family was hers. Storybrooke was where her heart was and would always be, and leaving it would only result in more pain for everyone.

When she saw Henry's reaction to the announcement, it only confirmed it furthermore. The kid belonged here, not in New York where they had more fabricated memories than real ones. No matter how beautiful they were, they would never beat the ones she knew they could have here.

Overwhelmed, her head pounding like never, she couldn't keep her tears from falling down her cheeks.

″I missed you,″ she said while diving back into the family hug. Emma rarely cried of joy in her life. It was a weird feeling for her, but she was convinced it wasn't the last time it would happen.

Emma started explaining what happened during her journey in the past Enchanted Forest, and her parents remembered their encounter with 'Princess Leia'. She was relieved that nothing had changed because of her actions. Well, she was now a fairy tale character, but besides that, nothing much. She and Hook could have very well returned to a cursed Storybrooke, because no Savior being able to break it would have been born out of True Love, or, most likely, she could have just completely disappeared, as well as Henry. That very thought was awfully painful, so she chased it away.

When her parents announced that her brother was called Neal, in honor of Rumple's son, Emma was flooded with a whole bunch of emotions. She was equally touched by the idea as she was repelled by it, given that she would be reminded of the man she loved for the rest of her life. It was both a blessing and a curse, mostly because it was still so fresh and that she and Henry hadn't had a lot of time with him just before he passed. Though, it was a very beautiful tribute to him.

Thinking about her lost love suddenly made her train of thoughts derail to a completely different person. She looked around the dinner and couldn't see the one who was, mostly, a pain in the ass, but who was also very important to her.

Emma went outside Granny's and saw Hook sitting alone. He must have been there for a while. She wondered why he hadn't entered the dinner. She sat with him and they talked about how everything must have gone back to normal, now. He called her a hero, which she didn't think she deserved. She almost screwed everything up, like always. Emma would clearly be scarred until she died from the consequences that could have had her trip to the past.

She thanked him though, and it was meant for a lot of things, but mainly for when he came to New York to get her back to Storybrooke. He tried to stay modest about it, which was weird because he never missed a chance to praise himself in front of her, or anyone, for what it was worth.

When he admitted that in order to travel between the realms he had to trade the Jolly Roger for a magical bean, Emma couldn't help but find the gesture completely romantic. Hook had proven many times that he cared about her and her family. He had saved them more than once. He was obviously attracted to her but, even if he was always hitting on her in the most obnoxious ways, was too much of a gentleman to make an unwanted move towards her.

Without furthermore thinking, Emma leaned forward until he met her for a kiss. It started slow but he deepened it shortly after. In some ways, she was indeed attracted to him. He proved to be a good man for more than his fair share. He was undeniably handsome and Henry liked him a lot.

Yet, she was waiting for the fireworks, or the butterflies, or at least some kind of sparks to happen. It wasn't her first time kissing him, and she tried to recall how she felt when their lips touched in Neverland. The situation back then was so tensed, with Henry being in danger and her parents kind of getting on her nerves, and Regina–.

Regina. Where was she? Emma hadn't seen her in Granny's but she was pretty sure she would never miss an opportunity to poke fun at Mary Margaret, and this whole coronation thing was one good opportunity.

When Hook tried to slip his tongue into her mouth, she broke the kiss. She had lost her breath with all the thinking she was doing and was gasping for air. Hook took it as a sign that she liked it and made a move for the part two.

″I'm sorry,″ she said softly, in one breath, after she slightly turned her face so their lips wouldn't collide. ″I am so sorry.″

She stood up but didn't move. She looked at him with soft eyes that were starting to fill with tears, but even if hurt was clearly showing in his face, he didn't say a word.

″The woman! Hook, where is she?″ she said while coming back to reality. The tone in her voice was alarming. She suddenly remembered that they brought back someone who was still thinking of Regina as the Evil Queen. Someone who was supposed to be dead but wasn't anymore. Someone who had never stepped foot in Storybrooke before and probably knew nobody.

″She's inside, don't worry, love. I guess she is yours now.″

Emma wasn't sure if he was talking about the mysterious woman or… Regina? Perhaps it was both. Even if she had never told anyone about the warm fire that was burning her insides every time she was in the same room as the former Queen, or how she was getting aroused every time they were fighting, or how she often woke up in sweats because of one Regina Mills invading her dreams, she was pretty much sure that Hook had picked on the fact that she was at least a little bit attracted to her.

Once she went back inside, directly to the woman, Regina entered the dinner with Robin and Rolland. The woman, as expected, started to panic, but Emma reassured her. She asked Regina to talk to the woman so that she could understand how much she had changed and wasn't a threat anymore.

Before anyone could say another word, Robin recognised the woman as his wife, Marian. His dead wife. Who wasn't dead anymore. They reunited with joy and tears and incomprehension and shock.

Regina clenched her jaw and slowly turned towards Emma, who saw a glimpse of the Evil Queen, as she had encountered briefly just a few hours ago, in her eyes.

″You really are just like your mother,″ Regina said to Emma between her teeth. ″Never thinking of the consequences.″

She stormed out of Granny's, leaving behind a beaming reunited Hood family and a helpless Emma. Emma knew Regina and Robin were dating, but she never thought Regina would be devastated like that if things didn't work out between them. And now, not only would they not work out, it was entirely Emma's fault they wouldn't.

_Say your goodbyes Emma Swan, _Emma thought_, because you are one dead woman._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note : **I believe it will feel slow-paced for this chapter and the next one, but bear with me.

Don't hesitate to review, I would like to have a feedback since it's my first story. Thanks!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Regina had never faced that much humiliation since she's been in Storybrooke. Sure there were a few times when she would have rather stayed under the radar, like when the first curse broke and her real identity was revealed or when she saved her long-time enemy on Neverland and everyone knew about it.

She was pacing around in her kitchen with a glass full of apple cider in hands. She was shaking a lot, spilling cider everywhere. She sat on a stool, her stare completely lost, holding her breath, and stood up with a heavy sigh after only a few seconds. She did that little routine more times than one could count.

She knew she shouldn't have let her guards down. Not with Robin, and mainly not with the Charmings, including their precious little Savior. Haven't she learned from all the pain she felt when she lost Daniel? She swore she would never let herself feel that way again, but life had a pretty vicious sense of humour. How many people had two True Loves, and lost both of them? Lost them because of members of the same fucking family?

_Emma Swan will pay for that, _Regina was thinking._ That woman needs to learn to take responsibilities for her actions. Behind her Savior facade, she is just as bad as her mother is. She thinks her innocent little pout will make me go soft on her? Hell no! Emma Swan won't be able to sleep comfortably until death takes either her or me down!_

Regina collapsed on the floor, her back against the refrigerator. The contents of her glass was now completely out of it.

She wanted to cry. She needed to cry. She _knew_ she needed to cry. Yet, it was impossible for her to do so.

Had it been anyone's fault that Marian had suddenly risen from the dead, it would have been like having her heart crushed on the spot. But from the Sheriff herself, it felt like she was condemned to live a heartless life, frozen in place, bound to watch every single happy moment of the family she dared to think she could be a part of.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already past 11 p.m. She left Granny's in a rush, and didn't think about Henry, which was making her even more pissed. He was supposed to sleep here, in his bed. Since he had his memories back, Emma and her were sharing time taking care of him.

She laughed, one cold laugh, because she would have never agreed to a shared custody before the missing year. She had softened too much since they came back to Storybrooke. And now, she certainly didn't want her son to be with _her_ at all. She hated the feeling of having acted too… nicely. People needed to remember who she was and why they feared her.

But right now, she needed to go to sleep. She knew she would have trouble sleeping, but it was necessary for her to at least try to gain some energy back.

* * *

Emma, her parents, the baby and Henry went to the loft after Regina left Granny's. They hadn't spoken a word on the way there.

Emma was still in shock over the fact that how, out of thousands of people, she could have brought back the one person who, despite not deserving to die, should have not been saved. How ironic for a _hero_, really. She was motionless, standing in the middle of the room, her jacket still on, her hand resting on the zip which was halfway down.

Mary Margaret went upstairs to take care of baby Neal, prepping him for his night.

As for David, he sat on the couch, his head in his hands. He was already dreading what Regina would do to his family. They just got rid of Zelena, who threatened their unborn child for weeks and he foolishly thought they could have a normal life for once. Between realm travels, memory losses, crushed hearts, curses and now time travels, he was less and less certain it could be normal someday around here. Maybe that was their normal; having death threats over their heads all the time. He didn't know what Regina would do, be he was a hundred percent sure that the incident wouldn't go unpunished. And with the baby finally here, David was scared he would not be able to protect all of his family.

Henry didn't know how to react. He saw the pain go through his mother's eyes. More than anything, he wanted to be able to comfort her, to take her by the waist in a tight grip. But she left Granny's so quickly and he was still taken aback, unable to understand every repercussion the arrival of Marian would have. Also, Emma surely was in need of comforting too. But again, he didn't know if it would make the situation worse than it already was. What if he didn't find the right words? Or entered her personal space too soon?

Since he went to Boston to find Emma, no, since he _decided_ to go find Emma in Boston, he had always chosen sides between his moms. With time, he was learning that it never was a good idea to choose between these two.

So, he wisely headed straight to the bathroom to brush his teeth before going to sleep. He thought that maybe things wouldn't be as bad as everybody seemed to be imagining them when they all had a good night of sleep.

Emma finally moved from her spot. She zipped her jacket back up and got out of the apartment. David saw her leave, but decided to stay put. She needed some alone time. It still was her way of dealing with things, and given that she had just fully accepted being part of this family that very evening, it was the right thing to do.

* * *

It was getting cold outside. Emma's jacket was perfect during daytime, but failed to keep her properly warm during nighttime. She crossed her arms on her chest as she made her way into the silent town. From time to time, she would hear a car a few streets away, and would look out to make sure no one was following her.

″Well Em, with the luck you have these days, you should go get some lottery tickets,″ she told herself out loud. ″Really, what _are_ the odds…″

She mentally stated all the things in her life that would make so little sense to her old self. From having a child with the son of the most powerful man, who is from another world, to having that same child adopted by the second most powerful person of that same world, while all of it happening in _this_ world? Being the daughter born out of True Love who is bound to break the curse made by the woman she couldn't stop thin… she couldn't stop hurting? And now that Marian showing up here? It was all too much. If her life was a movie, she wouldn't believe that all of this could be happening to only one person.

When she realized her cheeks were wet, she sat down on the sidewalk. The day had been awfully long and even more awfully exhausting. Her emotions were mixed between fear, sadness, misunderstanding, tiredness and hate towards herself.

All of a sudden, a heat of wellness ran through her body. She suspected that it came from her own magic. Strong feelings were always the key to unleashing it when needed. She took advantage of her state to make it back to the apartment… to her home.

* * *

As predicted, Regina slept like the 'Princess and The Pea'; not at all. Her heart was intensely aching, her back muscles were sore from never finding a good position and her head was making sure she'd never want to get up and face what was coming. The day was about to be a very long one though, so she managed to go downstairs in order to eat something. Her stomach wasn't good at keeping solids when she was in that state, so she ended up eating plain yogurt with a swirl of honey on it.

She mentally planned her day while playing with her yogurt. First off, wishing it would help relieve some tension, she had to take her heart out of her for a while. She would go directly to her vault once she'd leave the house, making sure it was safe. She was not willing to see her heart travelling from hand to hand once again, after what happened with the curse Zelena almost successfully achieved. She'd take double measures to prevent anything from happening to it.

_Well, I must absolutely keep it away from Miss Swan, who seems all too eager to mess with me these days,_ she thought.

Thinking about Emma made all her attempts to eat something vain. Hate wasn't a strong enough word to describe what she thought of the Sheriff right now.

She went upstairs to dress up in a classic white button-up with dark blue pants. She put on some fabulous heels, and when she was pleased with her look, made it to her car, taking her coat on the way out. There were no reasons for her to appear messy in public at any time or to rush things by using her magic to transport into the vault. People of Storybrooke needed to see her in full control, which meant that the least she would let her plans be known, the most feared she'd be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Regina took her time driving to her vault. She wanted to be seen, her head held up, not giving a fuck of whatever people were saying about her.

Once at destination, she stayed in her car until she was sure there was someone who could spot her entering the vault. It was now of common knowledge what she kept in it; dark magic objects, potions, spells and a bunch of other things most of the people didn't even want to hear about or knew existed.

It was a bit childish to be waiting to _get_ caught when she would habitually do anything to keep people out of her life. But Regina Mills' power resided in appearances. And control. For now, that was how she was dealing with the situation. That was her plan.

Once inside, she prepared the box that would receive her heart. She needed many layers of protection, learning through experience that blood barriers weren't enough. She put on a spell blocking the sound and smell, making sure a certain someone with heightened senses couldn't easily find the box. She also made a realistic duplicate of her heart that would be found more easily than the actual one, to buy some time if someone succeeded in entering the place.

With a big inspiration, she plunged her hand into her own chest to retrieve the organ. Its darkening had slowed down a bit since the curse that brought them back to the Enchanted Forest. It was still beating fiercely, though Regina didn't relate that to its health but more to its desire to survive, which, in the Mills family, was something very strong.

After performing a few other spells she could think of, and retrieving some ingredients that could become handy in a near future, Regina exited the vault, a smirk crossing her face. The desired effect of getting rid of her heart wasn't as big as she thought it would be, but she felt more at peace than early on, which was a good start.

* * *

Emma was sipping her morning coffee at Granny's in an absentminded way. She put David in charge of driving Henry to school, but said she'd be able to pick him up in the afternoon.

She couldn't really believe it when she woke up; she thought she'd be dead by now. It made her think that what was coming was probably worse than death.

Ruby was trying to understand what was going on in her friend's head. The morning was slow so she had time to take into account most of her little gestures and heard all her quiet sighs.

″Ruby, are you scaring the customers again?″ asked Granny in a severe way, one hand on a hip, holding a towel, and the other hand showing the empty room around.

Before she could reply anything, Grumpy spoke, having heard Granny's question while entering the place.

″Sorry girls, I'll take my coffee to go this morning. And I guess no one wants to be crossing Regina's path today, hence the desert place. Words spread fast in this town.″

At Regina's name, Emma broke out of her daydreaming.

″Is she here?″ Emma asked, spinning on her stool.

Ruby said nothing, but her raised eyebrow showed that she hadn't missed Emma's small outburst.

* * *

Regina was back to her house. She thought about dropping at Granny's in an attempt to show she was still strong, maybe just in appearances, but that they didn't need to know, but it seemed rather empty when she passed in front of it, making it a little bit useless. She headed directly to her study to find her mother's spell book. As she was looking through it for some inspiration for her Swan-revenge, she was also thinking of ways to make her suffer that didn't necessarily imply magic.

The easiest thing to do that was sure to make Emma rage was forbidding her to see Henry, or taking actions that would prevent her from seeing him. That plan had proven itself to work many times.

* * *

Emma was at the Sheriff's station, but nothing productive had come out of her the whole day. How was she supposed to protect the town when the very thing threatening it was aimed directly at her, and wouldn't back down easily? Was she supposed to skip town like Regina had asked her on their first fight, way back then? Would it prevent anything bad from happening to her loved ones? She wasn't even sure Regina would accept to talk to her, so negotiating wasn't really her strongest option.

″Shit, Henry!″ She ran out of the office when she saw it was almost time for her to join him at school.

He had nothing to do with this fight, but she had the feeling he would somehow be once again trapped in the middle of his two mothers' argument. She was already putting his needs after hers, which was a big parenting no-no, as she learned it in the past year. She pulled over in front of the school, only two minutes before the clock rang. A sigh of relief escaped her lungs.

Her relief was only short-lived though as she saw Regina's car coming right in her direction. She got out and leaned on the characteristic yellow bug. Arms crossed, she gathered every ounce of courage she had after swallowing heavily.

Regina parked beside her and got out as well. She looked at the school's door, not even bothering to acknowledge Emma's presence.

Emma was starting to boil inside. She was prepared to be yelled at, or magically tossed across the street. She even had the thought she would be killed right there, in the open, before innocent children's eyes.

Children started to run out of the school. It was indeed a beautiful day and most of them must have been eager to go outside to play. Once they saw who was at the foot of the stairs though, any excitement disappeared and eyes wouldn't leave the ground. They rapidly reached their parents, who, at their turn, rushed away while shielding their kids with their bodies.

Emma noticed the strange behavior right away, which no sheriff's badge was necessary to comprehend. The last time she saw people acting like that, it was right after the first curse broke.

They were clearly scared of Regina. Of the Evil Queen.

″See what you are doing?″ Emma hissed at Regina. ″Everyone in town is uncomfortable around you.″

She waited for a sharp reply, which were always fired quickly with the former Queen.

_And I thought it was your fashion sense that scared them. Or maybe they think _you_ will take away the thing they love most_, thought Regina_._ She really wanted to answer back, but found out that giving the silent treatment to the mouthed Emma Swan was just as satisfying, if not even more.

″If you are not here to yell at me or you know, kill me or something, you can leave now.″

Regina didn't even bat an eye. _Oh no Miss Swan, I gave it a thought, but killing you would be _way_ too easy._

It was so predictable that the Sheriff would think that her death would be satisfying.

Henry finally made his way out of the school. He had always been slower than everybody to gather his things, though this time it has been particularly long.

″Hey kid,″ said Emma while stepping towards him.

Regina didn't move but gave Henry a severe look and he knew it meant he'd be in trouble, no matter his next move.

″Hum, hi Emma,″ he answered his eyes still locked on Regina. His voice missed its usual intonation.

″C'mon, we'll go take a walk to take advantage of this beautiful day. Maybe we could stop for an ice cream before going back home, but only if you don't tell your grandparents.″ She exaggeratedly winked.

_Bribing the kid, Miss Swan? That is _so_ you._

When nobody moved or talked, Emma lost patience. She turned back to face Regina, stepping closer to her, where she knew she'd be in Regina's personal space.

″You've got to stop torturing the kid, Regina. Let him make his own choices.″

Their two sets of eyes weren't letting go of one another. Emma blinked first after what felt like hours.

Her heart was beating fast. She was angry; at Regina, yes, but also at herself. She felt like her stomach had been continually doing backflips since she woke up that morning. She didn't know how to deal with the situation. Well, she never really knew how to deal with _any_ situation. It was always luck or someone else that took her out of trouble. Since a very young age, her decisions were most of the time making things worse.

She was indeed scared for her life, but what scared her more at the moment was living. Having the person she had complicated but yet actual feelings for hating her was unbearable. She couldn't imagine crossing Regina almost every day and being faced to the same coldness. Sure, things have never been all bright between them, but even at their worst, Emma knew Regina didn't hate _her_ but more what she represented. Regina hated the fact that Henry wanted to be with her. She hated that she was the Savior, supposed to break the curse. She hated that she was the daughter of Snow White. But hating Emma Swan for being Emma Swan? It was the first time Emma knew for sure that it was the case.

″Regina…″ Emma breathed out, softly. She had no clue of what to say. An apology was necessary, but chances were that it wouldn't be enough. ″I'm sorry. I know I should have started with that.″

She paused intentionally, giving Regina some time to react. The former Queen stayed still, but was internally greatly annoyed by the Savior's poor attempt.

Henry had yet to make a move or say anything. The silent fight between his moms was very difficult to watch, even more than their usual loud or physical ones. He had noticed how they had been working together since they came back to Storybrooke. They all were like one family, his moms and grandparents, helping each other in their difficulties or, well, saving the town once more. He dreamt of this his whole life and wasn't about to let it go.

″Please Regina,″ continued Emma, ″at least tell me what you want me to do. I can go talk to Robin-″

_I _fail_ to see how this could go wrong, _thought Regina, fighting the urge to do the biggest of eye-rolls.

″-or I can become a sort of slave to you, doing whatever you'd ask.″

_She really doesn't understand that the less I see her, the better I will feel._

Emma's voice got trapped in her throat. The thought of what she was about to say made her stomach hurt. Her heartbeat accelerated and her eyes became wet. She cleared her throat and looked over Regina's shoulder, unable to maintain connection with the dark-brown eyes.

″Or I could leave.″

_That's a good idea Miss Swan. Except for the fact that I will be blamed for it by everyone, including Henry, and I can't have him hate me again._

″Henry!″ Regina said sharply.

Without adding a word, she turned and made her way to her car, expecting Henry to follow her. With a quick look over her shoulder, she was relieved to see that he did.

Henry looked at Emma with big eyes, mouthing 'I'm sorry', but didn't hesitate to follow his mom.

Emma was left there, unsure that anything happened at all. Regina had been so cold, so emotionless, never reacting to anything that was said. Emma's mind was dizzy. It was as if she'd just woke up from a dream, and the more she tried to remember what it was about, the more it faded away.

Emma made her way back to the loft. When her parents saw her shocked face and that she was alone, they started to panic.

″What is going on?″ said Mary Margaret, ″and where is Henry?″

″Regina's,″ was all Emma could answer, making her way to the couch.

″What will she be doing next? Is there another curse coming? Are you in danger? We are there for you, we won't let anything happen.″

Emma lied face down on the couch. Her body and mind were numb. Mary Margaret and David exchanged a concerned look. They had no idea what they would be fighting, but knew that it wouldn't be simple.

Throughout the town, the word had spread that Regina was probably working on another curse. Every resident had a different idea of what would happen, but all of them knew, having seen what she was capable of, that it wouldn't be a fun ride. The one question that was on everyone's lips was 'When?'


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A couple of weeks had passed since Emma last saw Regina, in front of Henry's school. He was still staying at Regina's place and they had spoken only a few times over that period of time. She had this strong feeling that his mom was bluntly preventing him from contacting her. She was right when she felt that Henry would be stuck in between yet another fight.

It wasn't only Emma who had not seen the Mayor recently, but the whole town. This was raising suspicion among the residents, who were convinced some sort of new curse was about to fall right on their heads.

Emma was receiving, on a daily basis, many calls at the Sheriff's station from concerned people. They were all relying on her to find out what was going on and, most of all, to put a stop to it.

She was tired of being the Savior, though. The only thing Emma was craving for right now was to crawl into bed, put on some music loud enough to numb her thoughts, and cuddle her pillow.

Unfortunately for Emma, her parents would barely ever leave her alone, making sure she was at least trying to look like she was having the situation under control. Their background as Royals was coming back at full speed in this crisis time. Their expectations towards Emma were big, so she did everything she could to make them proud.

At least they were helping her as much as they could.

David was keeping a record of everything strange that was reported by, well, anyone. Most of the calls were anonymous, as if they were scared that the Mayor would personally target them when she would have decided to make a move. The fact was, and Emma was almost a hundred percent sure about it, that whatever Regina was planning, it would either be aimed at her and her family or at everybody like the Dark Curse. She at least believed that Regina wouldn't hurt an innocent person for her sole pleasure. Well, she hoped she wouldn't go that far.

Mary Margaret, on her side, was mainly taking care of baby Neal, which was taking most of her time. Although, she often went to Granny's to try and take the pulse of what people were talking about around town, but hadn't learned anything that David didn't already know from the calls.

The most reported thing was _movement_ in the Mayor's house. Emma was seriously considering that the town was going completely crazy because, well, Regina and Henry were living in that house; therefore, lights that turned on or shadows behind curtains were totally normal. She was starting to fear for Henry's life and for Regina's at the same time, because of all the people stalking them. One of them could easily decide to attack the Mayor in order to prevent her to do anything, and hurting Henry in the aftermath.

Emma had started to pass in front of the 108 Mifflin Street more often than before while doing her rounds. It was partly because of her concerns and partly unintentional. Many times she surprised herself to be parked in front of the house, not really recalling driving there.

Emma hung up the phone with a heavy sigh.

″What is going on?″ David asked, hanging his own phone after speaking to Happy who once again called to report that some lights were turned on then off in the Mayor's house. His face was showing concern for his daughter and annoyance at the dwarf at the same time.

″He's not picking up. Henry,″ she added when David raised an eyebrow.

″Give him some time, he'll come around. You know how much he loves you, and he must feel like listening to Regina will give you the best chances for now.″

″He's too young to play the hero,″ she said quietly, lost in her thoughts.

It was tough enough like that, dealing with the heavy weight hanging over the town and trying her best to protect everyone, and not knowing what was going on with Henry was making it worst.

The desk phone rang and David answered.

″Sheriff's station. Oh, hi buddy. Yes, she's right there.″ He held the phone towards Emma.

She literally jumped to grab the phone. ″Henry?″

″Emma, I'm sorry I haven't called back sooner, but I didn't want mom to know I was talking to you. She is still mad and won't really talk to me either and she spends most of her days in her study or her room-″he said in a breath before being interrupted.

″Calm down, kid. Just tell me you are fine and that she feeds you and stuff.″

″She gives me money to buy food at Granny's after school. So I guess I'm OK, and stuff.″

Emma hated to involve him in anything but she didn't really have a choice by now.

″Do you know anything about what she's planning?″

″No. I saw Cora's book on her desk but other than that, I have no idea.″ He took a deep breath then continued. ″I'm scared. I don't want her to be hated again.″

Emma was speechless. Henry was probably scared of what his mom was planning or who she could hurt, but he was even more scared that the people would treat her like when they learned she was the Evil Queen. And it was a fear that Emma could relate to.

* * *

Regina had spent the first week after her stunt against Emma trying to find a spell or curse to ensure her revenge. Sure, she had found quite a few that would do the trick, but they all had the same consequence; hurting Henry and losing his trust. It had been so hard to gain it back since the Dark Curse broke, with all their ups and downs through whatever was happening in that town, that she wasn't willing to risk it again.

A sleeping curse on Emma would be too predictable and not really effective, since Henry could probably wake her up with a simple kiss on the cheek.

A curse bringing everyone from the Enchanted Forest back there would separate Emma from the ones she loved, but Henry would also be stuck here and she wasn't ready to be separated from him again.

Of course, she had already skipped the option of simply killing her, because no matter how subtly she could achieve it, people would still accuse her on the spot. Their beloved Sheriff, the Savior whose life was a literal prophecy, the woman who saved them more than once; everybody would jump in the action to avenge her death. Even the best of alibis wouldn't prevent Regina from being pointed as the guilty one.

No, Regina Mills had to be more original than that. They were all old tricks; outdated unimpressive and a waste of her energy.

The second week of her self-imposed isolation, Regina had become a total mess.

She started to spend most of her time in her bedroom, unable to get up in the morning. She was exhausted.

She should be taking advantage of having Henry all to herself, but even that thought was not strong enough to make her move. She was barely surviving. She was making food appear in her bedroom to eat a little bit, but was most of the time not finishing her dish.

She had plenty of time to think but nothing clear was coming out. Thoughts were fighting one another and were often contradicting. She wasn't able to put words on how she was feeling.

Anger? Pain? Betrayal? Jealousy? Sadness? All of the above.

She had let herself hope. That was the worst feeling. What she had with Robin was barely real. They maybe were meant for each other but in another life. As he had said to her before, timing was everything. But contrary to what he meant then, maybe their time was when she first saw him through the pub's door and only saw his lion tattoo. Then it expired. What they were feeling here was a mere shadow of what they were meant to really have, but they were craving for it to be real, making it too forced and fake.

Regina was still not over the fact that the Sheriff was the one responsible for it to end, but at least now she really knew that love wasn't for her. It never had been and never would be.

* * *

After hanging up with Henry, the office phone and both Emma's and David's cell phones rang. They looked at each other for a second before answering in unison.

″Rubes, calm down-″

″Leroy, hey, take your time-″

″The docks? OK we're coming.″

They hung up and both leaned back in their chair, completely taken aback. They didn't understand everything Ruby and Leroy said but mostly didn't understand _why _something like that would be happening.

Without a word, they jumped in the cruiser and drove as fast as they could to the docks. A growing crowd was already there. They got out of the car and broke through the panicked people. It didn't take long to grasp what had been reported to them.

People were whispering between them, but Emma, without hearing them, knew what they were saying. They were asking if it was Regina's creation and Emma herself thought about it.

What she was not able to understand, though, was the meaning of all this.

With hands on her hips, David by her sides, she took a good look at the view; docks, boats and buoys all stuck in thick ice. As far as they could see, there was no more water, only ice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note : **Sorry for the long wait. I wasn't feeling like writing and didn't really know where this would be going.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Emma and David finally succeeded at convincing every curious person to clear the docks' area after many attempts. Some people felt the need to talk about the incident so they gathered at Granny's. They were all coming up with their own explanation of what was going on.

″She will freeze us to death.″

″Or maybe starve us to death. We cannot fish anymore, what if our crops are next?″

″It sure is all about the elements,″ another said. ″She will blow our houses down, bury our children alive and burn down our forests.″

″Hold on everyone,″ Emma said, trying to gain their attention, but it failed. She stepped on a chair. ″I said _hold on_!″ she tried again, louder.

Conversations gradually stopped and eyes turned her way.

″You're all ready to guilt Regina on that but we don't know for sure who is responsible.″

She didn't have the time to continue her train of thought that people started to shout back at her. Mostly, their minds were set and there seemed to be no way that they could change.

″As the Sheriff, you should already be at her house to arrest her,″ said someone over the loud buzz that was filling the crowded place.

″As the _Sheriff_,″ Emma marked that last word and paused to make sure she was heard, ″it is my duty to make sure the town is safe, not to arrest people randomly. I will go talk to Regina and _no one_ must attempt anything that could be harmful for either her, Henry, or anyone else. I _won't_ hesitate to arrest anyone who will be in the way of this investigation.″ She looked around and locked eyes with most of them for a few seconds each. She wanted to make sure she had been correctly heard.

″Now, unless you are here to eat or drink, I will ask you to leave the diner.″ She stepped down the chair and left the place, hoping her instructions would be followed.

The next day, after shutting down her inner little voices that were saying how much of a bad idea it was, Emma showed up at the Mayor's front door. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say the night before, but failed to remember any of it now that she was about to knock. She quickly turned around and made her way back to the Sheriff's car.

_C'mon you coward, if there is someone in this town that understands duty and responsibilities, it's her._

With an unexpected dose of courage, she went back to the door and knocked right under the 108 sign. She foolishly waited for a quick answer, but clearly none was coming at all. At that moment, she wished nothing more than to just see Regina's face, even if it was wearing the typical annoyance that she was usually greeted with.

As some tension was relieved in a sigh when she understood she wouldn't be answered now, her body tensed right back because she knew she'd still have to deal with all of this later on. There was no easy way out.

As Emma stepped down the porch, she heard some fainted foot-steps coming from inside the house.

″Regina? It's me,″ she said shyly, hoping she had spoken loud enough.

″Go away, Miss Swan.″

″Can we talk?″

″I have nothing to say to you Miss Swan.″

″I'm not here for personal reasons but as the Sheriff,″ she replied back. When she heard unlocking noises, she felt grateful that Regina wasn't too stubborn to let a potential town problem unattended.

″Well, why haven't you said so sooner, _Sheriff_?″ Regina said while opening the door, saying that last word between her teeth.

Emma's eyes opened wide at the view before her; the Mayor in a crimson silk robe, which was loosely attached around the waist. Her hair was messy by a Regina Mills standard, but still prettier than what most women could achieve in hours of preparation.

Emma had still not spoken a word, her brain unable to process anything besides what was in front of her.

Regina was losing patience at the silence. But as much as she didn't want to talk to Emma, she was glad to finally see someone outside of Henry. Those past two weeks had been very lonely. At first, she received a few calls a day from her secretary so she could work from home, but it didn't last long. She didn't have the energy to deal with the town and her mayoral concerns so she made it clear to not be disturbed anymore.

″What do you want, Miss Swan?″ she asked, but the Sheriff didn't move a muscle. ″Emma?″ she said sharply.

It seemed to get her out of her stupor.

″Uh, hi!″ Emma mentally slapped herself for her lack of concentration – and vocabulary. She shook her head, hopeful that her words would fall back into her mouth eventually.

Regina had forgotten how she was dressed. She finally realised how she looked when she saw that the blonde's eyes were longing a little bit too much.

She cleared her throat and waited for Emma's eyes to lock with hers.

″Can you be professional for one second or is it too much to ask of you, Miss Swan?″

″Uh?″ Emma thought she must have unheard something the Mayor said.

With an eye roll, Regina used her magic to get properly dressed in a matter of seconds.

Emma instantly blushed because she had clearly been caught staring.

″Hum yes,″ she started. ″Something happened yesterday and-″

″And you think I have something to do with it,″ Regina interrupted. It wasn't a question though.

″Well I would never jump to conclusions too fast-″

″Oh no, you _never_ would,″ Regina cut again, in a bitter tone.

They stared at each other for a moment. Emma's mouth opened, as if she was about to reply, but she closed it without a sound.

″I'm tired of all of this, Regina,″ she said softly afterwards, her shoulders dropping low. ″Of us fighting over everything.″

″We don't know anything else,″ Regina replied, crossing her arms on her chest.

Emma's heart hurt a little bit as the words made their way to her.

″It isn't true and you know it Regina. We're able to help each other.″

″Like you're _able_ to get dressed, but it doesn't mean you're good at it.″

″Says the one who answered the door in a very showing robe.″ Emma hid the smile that was trying to make its way to her face. She needed to stay serious, given the situation. There still was a crisis in town that needed to be taken care of.

Regina almost forgot for a moment what the Sheriff was doing on her doorstep. The conversation flipped to a lighter mood in a blink of an eye. She waited for Emma to be the one to bring the subject back though.

″Do you know what happened at the docks recently?″ said Emma, as if on cue.

″I'm about to learn about it I would guess.″

Emma looked deeply into Regina's eyes, hoping for the thousandth time she could really read into her mind. The former Queen has had decades of practice of hiding what she was thinking and letting nothing show that she didn't want people to see.

″It's as if the whole sea froze instantly,″ Emma said without intonation, like how she would have announced that the sky was blue.

Regina stayed put, showing no surprise. In fact, she was mentally trying to determine how something like that could happen and mostly, who could be capable of such an act. She knew Rumple has proven many times to be stronger than she thought but also knew he always had a bigger purpose. She failed to see on what motive he could have achieved a spell this big.

Emma tried to read Regina's reaction, or lack of one. She wasn't denying anything but wasn't acknowledging having something to do with it either.

″So, can you help us understand what is happening?″

″I really can't, dear. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to.″ Without waiting for an answer, Regina closed the door, leaving a confused Emma behind.

* * *

″I'm not saying she has something to do with this spell, but you must admit, Emma, that her reaction is shady,″ David said. ″She habitually defends herself with more passion than Henry ever had while Operation Cobra, and that still is an understatement.″

″I don't understand, David. She seemed genuinely unaware, even without saying anything. Like almost shocked.″

Emma got lost in her thoughts. She had been replaying the scene in her head for the last two hours. She was trying to decode Regina's every moves, without much success. She knew since a long time that the Mayor was not one easy person to read. Her little superpower had mostly failed when confronted to Regina.

″I really don't know how we'll get through this one,″ Emma finally said, more to herself than to David.


End file.
